The 1 person to blame for Braves losing Freddie Freeman, and it’s not Alex Anthopoulos

Freddie Freeman's insane 2024 World Series performance almost never happened. While it is now hard to imagine the Los Angeles Dodgers without Freeman, he almost never left the Atlanta Braves for the Dodgers. There is one person to thank for that: Freeman's former agent Casey Close.

Freeman's free agency following the Braves' 2021 World Series title is best described as a controversial year-long saga. At first, it seemed straightforward. There was mutual interest in Freeman staying with the Braves. The team made him multiple offers but, ultimately, he chose to sign with the Dodgers.

What went wrong? According to an investigation by ESPN, after months of stalled negotiations, Freeman's then-agent Casey Close gave the Braves a tough choice that would end up pulling all offers off the table.

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Casey Close failed to properly communicate with the Braves' camp

Close played hardball with the Braves throughout the negotiation process and there were offers on the table for months leading to a disastrous final showdown. Money was less of an issue for the two camps: The real sticking point was contract length.

The Braves wanted to sign a then 32-year-old Freeman to a five-year deal while Freeman wanted an extra season. The Braves attempted to lure Freeman to give up on his sixth-year demand by steadily increasing their five-year offers throughout the negotiation process from $125 million in summer 2021 to $140 million in early 2022.

On March 11, 2022, everything broke down. Although Close denies this, multiple reports state that he backed the Braves into a corner. They had a short time period to accept a six-year $175 million or a five-year $165 million deal. Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos did not budge and immediately began looking at other options for first base.

Two days later the Braves made a trade for Matt Olson and the following day he signed a monstrous eight-year $168 million extension with the Braves. Just like that, Freeman's time in Atlanta came to a close.

The way negotiations broke down for the All-Star first baseman were heartbreaking. He truly believed that he'd remain in Atlanta.

Things have worked our for Freddie Freeman in Los Angeles

On March 18, Freeman officially signed a six-year $162 million deal with the Dodgers. With how clear he made it that he was planning on staying in Atlanta, some around the Dodgers organization feared that he viewed his new team as a consolation prize. Following Freeman's first game against his former club in June 2022, Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw expressed concern that the team might be "second fiddle" for Freeman.

Freeman made it clear that he did not like how his camp handled the negotiations with the Braves by firing Casey Close and Excel Sports Management following the Dodgers series in Atlanta.

Then, things got better. Freeman was able to completely move on from the Braves and what must have been a stressful, emotional, and ultimately disappointing, contract negotiation. He has made it very clear that he is happy in Los Angeles

Los Angeles has made it very clear that they are happy to have him. An instant fan favorite, 'Freddie' chants are a common occurrence at Dodger stadium, especially this season during which he needed a little extra encouragement.

The Dodgers and their fans rallied around him and his family after his 3-year-old son Max was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome and continued to support him as he recovers from an ankle sprain sustained just prior to the postseason.

Saying Freeman showed up big in the World Series may be the understatement of the century. He hit an instant classic walk-off grand slam at the bottom of the 10th inning to cap off an intense Game 1 and has gone on to hit a home run in each of the next two games, bringing his World Series home run streak to five games dating back to the 2021 World Series with the Braves.

Although it was certainly painful for him to leave the Braves and fire Close, with the Dodgers sitting just one win away from a World Series title, everything worked out well for Freeman.